The Morning After
by AHighAndLonesomeSound
Summary: It's the morning after the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry has some decisions to make. Consider this the origin story of a certain item in 'Remembrance'. One-shot, fluffy, written for a Teachers' Lounge Iron Fic challenge quite a while ago.


**The Morning After**

" _When I went under, the world was at war. When I woke up, they told me we won."_

 _The Avengers_

Harry Potter awoke with a start, jerking upright in bed with his right hand scrabbling for his wand. It took a moment for him to realise that the bed was his four-poster in the seventh-year boys' dorm in Gryffindor tower, not a bunk in the tent that had once belonged to Perkins, and the footsteps he could hear were students who had stayed the night, not approaching Death Eaters. He sat still, realising that he was still exhausted despite several hours of sleep, feeling his heartbeat slow back down to something approaching normal and remembering the events of the preceding twenty-four hours. Voldemort and Bellatrix were dead, the war was over, he was safe.

Or was he? He was willing to bet that there were still Death Eaters out there. They would be on the run from the Ministry, and some of them would have lost a great deal of wealth and power as a result of Voldemort's defeat. They might be looking for revenge. He made a mental note to have a word with Kingsley about that, assuming the new Minister wasn't too busy. As he got dressed, his thoughts turned to Ginny. The thought of seeing her again had kept him going through all his time on the run and fighting, but now that the dust had settled he felt strangely unwilling to seek her out. After all, it was unlikely that she would want to resume their relationship. He had abandoned her for months to go off on a mission that he hadn't even felt able to explain to her, and his actions had led to the battle that had killed her brother and one of her friends. _Poor Colin_ , he thought with a twinge of guilt, _he shouldn't even have stayed behind to fight_.

Besides, she had probably met someone else during his time away. He wouldn't blame her. Best to give her some space.

Harry went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, intending to go to the Owlery straight after and contact Kingsley. He desperately needed to eat, and his body was aching from the various injuries he had sustained, so he had hoped to take things easy for a few hours. To his surprise, however, the Minister was already there, talking to Ron and Neville. He beckoned Harry over, grinning.

"Ah, Harry, just in time!" he said by way of greeting. "I've just been telling Ron and Neville here about something that you might find quite interesting."

Harry gave him a quizzical look.

"The Auror Office is willing to waive the standard NEWT requirements for DA veterans with distinguished CVs," Kingsley explained. "Basically, you would be able to start your advanced Auror training straightaway, and study for the NEWTs you choose long-distance without having to return to Hogwarts and repeat seventh year. Not that you and Ron actually _did_ seventh year in the first place," he added wryly.

Harry was temporarily speechless. He had wanted to be an Auror since his fourth year, and now the opportunity was being dropped into his lap. He could hardly believe it.

He glanced at the other two. They looked at each other and then Neville spoke.

"We're going to do it," he said. "At least for now. The Ministry's in disarray right now, and there are still Death Eaters on the loose. The Aurors need all the help they can get. Besides, it'd make Gran happy."

Ron nodded his agreement.

Harry took a deep breath and paused for thought. It would mean leaving Hogwarts, the closest thing he had for a home, and it would mean fewer chances to see those of his friends who stayed behind. _Including Ginny_ , said a small voice in the back of his head. He mentally shook himself. That train of thought was probably pointless. Maybe it would be for the best if he left Hogwarts. He could live in Grimmauld Place, with Kreacher, and meet his schoolfriends during Hogsmeade weekends. He reached a decision.

"I'd love to," he said, shaking Kingsley's hand.

"Excellent," the Minister replied. "The new Head of the Auror Office will be in touch to arrange the details, just as soon as I appoint one."

Harry chuckled a little at that.

Kingsley made to leave, but paused and turned back to face Harry.

"By the way," he said, "there's a photographer from the _Daily Prophet_ outside, he wants to get a picture of all the DA members. If you want my advice, it'd be a good idea to play along. Get the press stuff over with so you can go and spend time with the people you actually _want_ to speak to."

With that, Kingsley winked at Harry and strode over to speak to Professor McGonagall.

Harry, Ron and Neville looked at each other and shrugged, then turned and walked towards the Entrance Hall, joining a small stream of DA members heading for the doors.

Halfway down the front steps, Harry felt his ankle give way and he stumbled backwards, banging into somebody behind him.

"Harry! Are you alright? Here, lean on me, it's fine".

It was Luna. He smiled weakly at her and tried to stand up straight, but the exhaustion, hunger and pain were too much. She lifted his arm and put it around her shoulders, helping to support his weight, and the two of them staggered and stumbled down the steps.

"Ronald!" she called, trying to attract Ron's attention. "Could you help me with Harry, please?"

Ron turned around and his eyes widened in shock when he saw Harry. He came sprinting back towards them and stood on Harry's other side supporting him. Together the three of them shuffled into line with the rest of the DA and stood for what felt like an eternity as the photographer messed around with angles and lighting. When he was finally finished, Harry started going back inside to get some food, but Luna steered him over towards a nearby tree and got him to sit down on the ground.

"Stay here," she said with an uncharacteristically-concerned look. "I'm going to go and get Madam Pomfrey."

"I'm alright!" Harry protested. "I'm just hungry!"

Luna and Ron exchanged a sceptical look.

"Listen, mate," grinned Ron, patting him on the shoulder. "Let Luna go and get Pomfrey, and I'll go back inside and get you something to eat. OK?"

Harry nodded weakly and the duo departed. From where he was sitting he could see the rest of the DA milling around in the sunshine and talking to each other. Ginny and Padma were fending off an inquisitive reporter while Hermione slipped back into the school after Ron. Suddenly Ginny turned around, laughing at something that Padma had said, and saw him. Their eyes met and he remembered all the reasons he had spent the past months thinking of her and missing her.

She started strolling towards him, and he began to panic. What in Merlin's name would he say to her? He could feel himself starting to blush as she drew nearer.

Before he could think of anything to say or do, she sat down next to him.

"Hi," she muttered. If anything, she seemed more embarrassed than he was.

"You OK?" he asked, thinking of Fred, and of Ginny all alone in the Forest trying to comfort a dying girl while he snuck away to face Voldemort.

"I've… been better. Been worse too, though. You missed a lot of trouble this year, although I'm sure you managed to land yourself in worse situations than anything we experienced. It's your special talent, after all."

He chuckled.

"I have a lot of explaining to do."

"Yes," she replied. "A lot. But not now."

Ginny reached out and took Harry's hand, and he jerked in surprise. She withdrew her hand with a hurt look on her face.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking her in the eyes. "I just… didn't expect it. I thought you'd have found somebody else by now. I've been gone a long time, and we both knew I was risking my life."

"Harry James Potter, I love you, but sometimes you're a complete and other idiot. It's _you_ I want to be with, not some hypothetical other person. You, the boy who saved my life from a Basilisk and Tom Riddle when he was just twelve but couldn't screw up the courage to tell me he fancied me when he was sixteen!"

"Thanks for the flattering description," he replied with a smirk, taking her hand in his. "Although, if we're going to get back together there's something I should tell you."

"What?"

"I won't be coming back to Hogwarts. I'm joining the Aurors."

"Yeah, Ron told me he was thinking of joining up," she replied, curling up against Harry's side. "Don't worry, we'll work it out. We've got our whole lives ahead of us now, and no Voldemort trying to kill you."

Harry leaned down and kissed her. It was a golden summer's day and he was free of the burden he had struggled under for so long.

Maybe, just maybe, all would be well.


End file.
